The traditional roles of parents have changed considerably throughout the nation over time. Once upon a time throughout America, divorce was considered socially unacceptable. Perhaps due to the relatively small number of women in the workforce back then, courts throughout the country typically awarded custody of any children involved in a divorce to the mother. Those same courts also usually sought to levy alimony or spousal support payments against the children’s father.
Things are much different today. Modern family law courts in Florida courts now realize that it is beneficial to the development of children to have both parents actively taking roles providing for their kids. As previously mentioned in an earlier post, the October 2008 changes in Florida’s child custody laws exemplify this modern view of divorced spouses who also share children together.
In fact, your income will now be the basis for most child support determinations based a series of guidelines. However, you need to know that significant changes in the lives of either parent can affect their child support obligations regardless of how much money they have made in the past. For example, a court may decide to reduce the amount of child support for a parent who has suffered a significant injury or illness that prevents him or her from returning to work.
In other cases, a court may also adjust your child support payments in situations where your ex-spouse’s substance abuse or incarceration may have prompted a grandparent or another family member to assume the role of caregiver to your children.
You need a law firm that can represent you in either instance with regards to your child support obligations. From our law offices in Miami, our firm provides experienced family law representation for clients throughout the greater Miami-Dade Metropolitan area. We understand that sometimes language can be a barrier between lawyers and the clients they serve. However, all of the attorneys at our firm are also fluent in Spanish.